1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel method for producing sol-gel derived SiO.sub.2 /oxide powder composites and novel composites and especially relates to novel composites that exhibit a thermal expansion coefficient of 0.times.10.sup.-7 (.degree.C..sup.-1) over a very large temperature range.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior developments have described the use of drying control chemical additives for making large sol-gel derived Si containing monoliths, see copending application Ser. Nos. 583,741; 583,742; and 583,744, filed Feb. 27, 1984, all of which are now abandoned. The present invention is an extension of the earlier work described in these copending applications and provides a way to homogeneously disperse oxide powders within a silica gel monolithic matrix.